Can Information About Taxation and Improved Public Services Increase Tax Compliance?

Lessons from Malawi

Metaketa researchers: Jake Bowers, Nuole Chen, Christopher Grady, Matthew Winters

Geographical region: Africa

Project country: Malawi

Case study question: Can information about the connection between tax payment and public service delivery persuade citizens to pay taxes?

Edited by: Jaclyn Leaver

The Metaketa Initiative is a collaborative research model with a mission to improve knowledge about critical governance issues through rigorous field experiments. In each Metaketa “round,” the initiative coordinates multiple studies on a specific topic or intervention in a variety of countries and contexts.

As part of our efforts to share the results and policy impacts from the Metaketa Initiative, we’ve put together a series of Stories of Change. These stories share case studies that highlight new approaches and interventions used by Metaketa researchers and implementing partners.

Here we share the story of an experiment in Malawi aimed at connecting tax compliance with city service delivery in the minds of citizens. This study is part of the second Metaketa round, which focused on formalization, taxation, and public services.